SinceColorado became a U.S. state in 1876,[1] it has sentcongressional delegations to theUnited States Senate andUnited States House of Representatives, beginning with the44th United States Congress. Prior to statehood, theColorado Territory sent non-voting delegates to the House of Representatives from 1861 to 1876.[2] Each state elects two senators to serve for six years, and members of the House to two-year terms. Each state elects two senators to serve for six years in general elections, with their re-election staggered. Prior to the ratification of theSeventeenth Amendment in 1913, senators were elected by theColorado General Assembly.[3] Each state elects a varying number of, but at least one,[4] member of the House, depending on population, to two-year terms.[5] Colorado has sent eight members to the House in each congressional delegation since the2020 United States Census.[6]
A total of 80 people have served Colorado in the House and 37 have served Colorado in the Senate. The first of seven women to serve Colorado in Congress wasPat Schroeder, who served in the House from 1973 to 1996.[7] The first and onlyAfrican-American to have served Colorado in Congress isJoe Neguse.[8]
The current dean, or longest-serving member, of the Colorado delegation is RepresentativeDiana DeGette of the1st district, who has served in the House since 1997.[9] She is the second-longest serving member of Congress in Colorado history, only behindEdward T. Taylor, who served in the House from 1909 to 1941.[10][11]Henry M. Teller, who served more than 30 years in the Senate,[12] is the longest-serving senator in Colorado history.[13]
Colorado's current congressional delegation to the119th Congress consists of two senators, both of whom areDemocrats,[14] and eight representatives comprising four Democrats and fourRepublicans.[15]
The state of Colorado gained aneighth congressional seat beginning in 2023.[16] The current dean of the Colorado delegation is RepresentativeDiana DeGette of the1st district, who has served in the House since 1997.[9]
TheCook Partisan Voting Index (CPVI) is a measure of how strongly partisan a state is.[17] It measures the party leaning (Democratic or Republican) and the number of percentage points more partisan than the national average. For instance, R+4 would mean the state voted four percentage points more Republican than the national average.[18] As of 2025, the CPVI ranked Colorado's1st,2nd,6th, and7th districts as leaning Democratic, and the3rd,4th, and5th districts as leaning Republican. The8th district is ranked as even.[19] As a state, Colorado is ranked as leaning Democratic, with a score of D+6.[20]
Colorado
| Class II senator | Class III senator | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
.jpeg) John Hickenlooper Junior senator (Denver) | .jpg) Michael Bennet Senior senator (Denver) | |||
| Party | Democratic | Democratic | ||
| Incumbent since | January 3, 2021 | January 21, 2009 |
| District | Member (Hometown)[21] | Party | Incumbent since | CPVI (2025)[22] | District map |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | .jpg) Diana DeGette (Denver) | Democratic | January 3, 1997[23] | D+29 | _(new_version).svg) |
| 2nd |  Joe Neguse (Lafayette) | Democratic | January 3, 2019[24] | D+20 | _(new_version).svg) |
| 3rd |  Jeff Hurd (Grand Junction) | Republican | January 3, 2025 | R+5 | _(new_version).svg) |
| 4th |  Lauren Boebert (Windsor) | Republican | January 3, 2025 | R+9 | _(new_version).svg) |
| 5th |  Jeff Crank (Colorado Springs) | Republican | January 3, 2025 | R+5 | _(new_version).svg) |
| 6th | %2c_119th_Congress.jpg) Jason Crow (Aurora) | Democratic | January 3, 2019[25] | D+11 | _(new_version).svg) |
| 7th |  Brittany Pettersen (Lakewood) | Democratic | January 3, 2023[26] | D+8 | _(new_version).svg) |
| 8th |  Gabe Evans (Fort Lupton) | Republican | January 3, 2025 | EVEN | _(new_version).svg) |
Two senators from Colorado,Henry M. Teller andKen Salazar, have also served as theUnited States Secretary of the Interior, under theArthur administration andObama administration respectively.[27][28] Salazar is currently serving as theUnited States ambassador to Mexico under theBiden administration.[29] Many senators from Colorado, includingJohn F. Shafroth andEdwin C. Johnson, also served as thegovernor of Colorado.[30][31] Some have also been at the forefront of national politics during their careers, includingEugene Millikin, who served as thechairman of the Senate Republican Conference,[32] andGary Hart, who finished second in the1984 Democratic Party presidential primaries and was considered a frontrunner in the1988 Democratic Party presidential primaries.[33]
Senators are elected every six years depending on theirclass, with each senator serving a six-year term, and elections for senators occurring every two years, rotating through each class such that each election, around one-third of the seats in the Senate are up for election.[34] Colorado's senators are elected in classes II and III.[35] Currently, Colorado is represented in the Senate byMichael Bennet andJohn Hickenlooper.[36]
Democratic (D) Republican (R) Silver Republican (SvR)
| Class II senator | Congress | Class III senator | ||
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Henry M. Teller (R)[a] | 44th (1875–1877) | Jerome B. Chaffee (R) | ||
| 45th (1877–1879) | ||||
| 46th (1879–1881) | Nathaniel P. Hill (R) | |||
| 47th (1881–1883) | ||||
| George M. Chilcott (R)[b] | ||||
| Horace Tabor (R) | ||||
| Thomas M. Bowen (R) | 48th (1883–1885) | |||
| 49th (1885–1887) | Henry M. Teller (R) | |||
| 50th (1887–1889) | ||||
| Edward O. Wolcott (R) | 51st (1889–1891) | |||
| 52nd (1891–1893) | ||||
| 53rd (1893–1895) | ||||
| 54th (1895–1897) | ||||
| 55th (1897–1899) | Henry M. Teller (SvR)[c] | |||
| 56th (1899–1901) | ||||
| Thomas M. Patterson (D) | 57th (1901–1903) | |||
| 58th (1903–1905) | Henry M. Teller (D)[d] | |||
| 59th (1905–1907) | ||||
| Simon Guggenheim (R) | 60th (1907–1909) | |||
| 61st (1909–1911) | Charles J. Hughes Jr. (D)[e] | |||
| 62nd (1911–1913) | Charles S. Thomas (D) | |||
| John F. Shafroth (D) | 63rd (1913–1915) | |||
| 64th (1915–1917) | ||||
| 65th (1917–1919) | ||||
| Lawrence C. Phipps (R) | 66th (1919–1921) | |||
| 67th (1921–1923) | Samuel D. Nicholson (R)[f] | |||
| 68th (1923–1925) | ||||
| Alva B. Adams (D)[g] | ||||
| Rice W. Means (R) | ||||
| 69th (1925–1927) | ||||
| 70th (1927–1929) | Charles W. Waterman (R)[h] | |||
| 71st (1929–1931) | ||||
| Edward P. Costigan (D) | 72nd (1931–1933) | |||
| Walter Walker (D)[i] | ||||
| Karl C. Schuyler (R) | ||||
| 73rd (1933–1935) | Alva B. Adams (D)[j] | |||
| 74th (1935–1937) | ||||
| Edwin C. Johnson (D) | 75th (1937–1939) | |||
| 76th (1939–1941) | ||||
| 77th (1941–1943) | ||||
| Eugene Millikin (R) | ||||
| 78th (1943–1945) | ||||
| 79th (1945–1947) | ||||
| 80th (1947–1949) | ||||
| 81st (1949–1951) | ||||
| 82nd (1951–1953) | ||||
| 83rd (1953–1955) | ||||
| Gordon Allott (R) | 84th (1955–1957) | |||
| 85th (1957–1959) | John A. Carroll (D) | |||
| 86th (1959–1961) | ||||
| 87th (1961–1963) | ||||
| 88th (1963–1965) | Peter H. Dominick (R) | |||
| 89th (1965–1967) | ||||
| 90th (1967–1969) | ||||
| 91st (1969–1971) | ||||
| 92nd (1971–1973) | ||||
| Floyd Haskell (D) | 93rd (1973–1975) | |||
| 94th (1975–1977) | Gary Hart (D) | |||
| 95th (1977–1979) | ||||
| William L. Armstrong (R) | 96th (1979–1981) | |||
| 97th (1981–1983) | ||||
| 98th (1983–1985) | ||||
| 99th (1985–1987) | ||||
| 100th (1987–1989) | Tim Wirth (D) | |||
| 101st (1989–1991) | ||||
| Hank Brown (R) | 102nd (1991–1993) | |||
| 103rd (1993–1995) | Ben Nighthorse Campbell (D) | |||
| 104th (1995–1997) | Ben Nighthorse Campbell (R)[k] | |||
| Wayne Allard (R) | 105th (1997–1999) | |||
| 106th (1999–2001) | ||||
| 107th (2001–2003) | ||||
| 108th (2003–2005) | ||||
| 109th (2005–2007) | Ken Salazar (D)[l] | |||
| 110th (2007–2009) | ||||
| Mark Udall (D) | 111th (2009–2011) | |||
| Michael Bennet (D) | ||||
| 112th (2011–2013) | ||||
| 113th (2013–2015) | ||||
| Cory Gardner (R) | 114th (2015–2017) | |||
| 115th (2017–2019) | ||||
| 116th (2019–2021) | ||||
| John Hickenlooper (D) | 117th (2021–2023) | |||
| 118th (2023–2025) | ||||
| 119th (2025–2027) | ||||
Many representatives from Colorado have played important roles in the House of Representatives, including by chairingcongressional committees. For instance,Wayne N. Aspinall chaired theUnited States House Committee on Natural Resources from 1959 to 1973,[53] andEdward T. Taylor chaired theUnited States House Committee on Appropriations for more than three terms.[11] Taylor was also influential in the passing of theTaylor Grazing Act of 1934, which is named after him.[54] Others took on important roles later in their careers, such asJohn F. Shafroth, who later became thegovernor of Colorado and a senator from Colorado known for his influence over the passing of theFederal Reserve Act of 1913.[30] Seven women have served Colorado in the House, the first beingPat Schroeder,[7] and the first and only African-American to have served Colorado in the House isJoe Neguse.[8]
Each district uses a popular vote to elect a member of Colorado's delegation in the House of Representatives.[4] Districts are redrawn every ten years, after data from theUS Census is collected.[55] From 1861 to 1876, Colorado sent a non-voting delegate to the House of Representatives; when it became a state in 1876, it had one seat in the House. Since then, its representation in the House has grown along with its population. Since 2023, Colorado has hadeight congressional districts drawn according to the results of the2020 United States Census.[2][16]
.jpg)
Starting on August 19, 1861, theTerritory of Colorado sent a non-voting delegate to the House.[2]
Democratic (D) Republican (R)
| Congress | Delegate from Territory's at-large district |
|---|---|
| 37th (1861–1863) | Hiram Pitt Bennet (Cons. R) |
| 38th (1863–1865) | |
| 39th (1865–1867) | Allen Alexander Bradford (R) |
| 40th (1867–1869) | George M. Chilcott (R) |
| 41st (1869–1871) | Allen Alexander Bradford (R) |
| 42nd (1871–1873) | Jerome B. Chaffee (R) |
| 43rd (1873–1875) | |
| 44th (1875–1877) | Thomas M. Patterson (D) |
Following statehood on August 1, 1876, thestate of Colorado was apportioned one seat in the House.[2]
Democratic (D) Republican (R)
| Congress | At-large district |
|---|---|
| 44th(1875–1877) | James B. Belford (R) |
| 45th(1877–1879) | |
| Thomas M. Patterson (D) | |
| 46th(1879–1881) | James B. Belford (R) |
| 47th(1881–1883) | |
| 48th(1883–1885) | |
| 49th(1885–1887) | George G. Symes (R) |
| 50th(1887–1889) | |
| 51st(1889–1891) | Hosea Townsend (R) |
| 52nd(1891–1893) |
Following the1890 census, Colorado was apportioned two seats.[2]
Populist (Pop) Silver Party (Sv) Republican (R)
| Congress | District | |
|---|---|---|
| 1st district | 2nd district | |
| 53rd(1893–1895) | Lafe Pence (Pop) | John Calhoun Bell (Pop) |
| 54th(1895–1897) | John F. Shafroth (R) | |
| 55th(1897–1899) | John F. Shafroth (Sv) | |
| 56th(1899–1901) | ||
| 57th(1901–1903) | ||
Following the1900 census, Colorado was apportioned three seats.[2]
Democratic (D) Republican (R)
| Congress | District | At-large | |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1st district | 2nd district | ||
| 58th(1903–1905) | John F. Shafroth (D)[m] | Herschel M. Hogg (R) | Franklin E. Brooks (R) |
| Robert W. Bonynge (R) | |||
| 59th(1905–1907) | |||
| 60th(1907–1909) | Warren A. Haggott (R) | George W. Cook (R) | |
| 61st(1909–1911) | Atterson W. Rucker (D) | John Andrew Martin (D) | Edward T. Taylor (D) |
| 62nd(1911–1913) | |||
Following the1910 census, Colorado was apportioned four seats.[6]
Democratic (D) Republican (R)
Following the1970 census, Colorado was apportioned five seats.[6]
Democratic (D) Republican (R)
| Congress | District | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st district | 2nd district | 3rd district | 4th district | 5th district | |
| 93rd(1973–1975) | Pat Schroeder (D) | Donald G. Brotzman (R) | Frank Evans (D) | James Johnson (R) | William L. Armstrong (R) |
| 94th(1975–1977) | Tim Wirth (D) | ||||
| 95th(1977–1979) | |||||
| 96th(1979–1981) | Ray Kogovsek (D) | Ken Kramer (R) | |||
| 97th(1981–1983) | Hank Brown (R) | ||||
Following the1980 census, Colorado was apportioned six seats.[6]
Democratic (D) Republican (R)
| Congress | District | |||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | |
| 98th(1983–1985) | Pat Schroeder (D) | Tim Wirth (D) | Ray Kogovsek (D) | Hank Brown (R) | Ken Kramer (R) | Daniel Schaefer (R) |
| 99th(1985–1987) | Mike Strang (R) | |||||
| 100th(1987–1989) | David Skaggs (D) | Ben Nighthorse Campbell (D) | Joel Hefley (R) | |||
| 101st(1989–1991) | ||||||
| 102nd(1991–1993) | Wayne Allard (R) | |||||
| 103rd(1993–1995) | Scott McInnis (R) | |||||
| 104th(1995–1997) | ||||||
| 105th(1997–1999) | Diana DeGette (D) | Bob Schaffer (R) | ||||
| 106th(1999–2001) | Mark Udall (D) | Tom Tancredo (R) | ||||
| 107th(2001–2003) | ||||||
Following the2000 census, Colorado was apportioned seven seats.[6]
Democratic (D) Republican (R)
| Congress | District | ||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | |
| 108th(2003–2005) | Diana DeGette (D) | Mark Udall (D) | Scott McInnis (R) | Marilyn Musgrave (R) | Joel Hefley (R) | Tom Tancredo (R) | Bob Beauprez (R) |
| 109th(2005–2007) | John Salazar (D) | ||||||
| 110th(2007–2009) | Doug Lamborn (R) | Ed Perlmutter (D) | |||||
| 111th(2009–2011) | Jared Polis (D) | Betsy Markey (D) | Mike Coffman (R) | ||||
| 112th(2011–2013) | Scott Tipton (R) | Cory Gardner (R) | |||||
| 113th(2013–2015) | |||||||
| 114th(2015–2017) | Ken Buck (R) | ||||||
| 115th(2017–2019) | |||||||
| 116th(2019–2021) | Joe Neguse (D) | Jason Crow (D) | |||||
| 117th(2021–2023) | Lauren Boebert (R) | ||||||
Since the2020 census, Colorado has been apportioned eight seats.[6]
Democratic (D) Republican (R)
| Congress | District | |||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1st | 2nd | 3rd | 4th | 5th | 6th | 7th | 8th | |
| 118th(2023–2025) | Diana DeGette (D) | Joe Neguse (D) | Lauren Boebert (R)[r] | Ken Buck (R)[s] | Doug Lamborn (R) | Jason Crow (D) | Brittany Pettersen (D) | Yadira Caraveo (D) |
| Greg Lopez (R) | ||||||||
| 119th(2025–2027) | Jeff Hurd (R) | Lauren Boebert (R)[r] | Jeff Crank (R) | Gabe Evans (R) | ||||
